


Keep Him Close

by mggislife2789



Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: Chess, Gen, Mystery man, a day in the park
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-02
Updated: 2017-08-02
Packaged: 2018-12-10 09:55:36
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,180
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11689239
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mggislife2789/pseuds/mggislife2789
Summary: Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters or their original stories. This is only for fun. It's where my brain goes after the credits roll. No copyright intended. Better safe than sorry. ;)





	Keep Him Close

“James! Ethan! Are you ready to go!” Alex called up the mahogany staircase. Her husband and 6-year-old son were the loves of her life and also the reasons she was always late to anything - even if they didn’t have to be anywhere by a particular time. 

Today, they were supposed to go for a walk in the park and James had woken up late, having been recovering from another round with Doctors Without Borders, and Ethan had been too busy reading a book to get up and get dressed. And as a linguist, Alex could never find it in herself to stop Ethan from reading, but finally he was done and both were nearly ready to go. “Hurry up! Mom needs coffee!”

James picked up Ethan and put him on his shoulders. “We’ve gotta go little man. When Mom needs coffee we shouldn’t stand in her way.”

“Yea, she gets cranky,” Ethan laughed, giggling when his mother lovingly cut her eyes at him.

After a stop at the nearby cafe for a cup of coffee for mom and dad, an apple juice for Ethan, and a giant blueberry muffin to split between the three of them, they made their way to the park. The minute the stepped within sight of the swings Ethan was off and running toward them. For the most part, Ethan was an introverted boy, but when Alex and James could get him in the park, they loved to watch him run around without a care in the world. He was getting so big already, but it was a joy to see him still being a carefree child.

While Ethan grabbed a swing and started kicking his legs back and forth, James and Alex sat at a nearby picnic table. The sun was out and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. Temperature-wise it was perfect. Just cool enough for a sweater but not much more. They still had their coffees that they sipped at periodically and best of all, they had time to talk after being apart for so long. 

Alex taught at American University in the linguistics department. It allowed her to teach at the times that were most convenient for her and Ethan, but James’ job was much more difficult. He’d be away for months at a time with Doctors Without Borders. Then he would be home for a while, so when he was, they took advantage of it and spent was much time together as possible. “I’ve missed you,” James said, reaching across the table and resting his hand on hers, their rings rubbing up against each other. 

“I’ve missed you, too,” she smiled. She squeezed his hand and got up to sit in front of him on his side of the table, leaning back into his chest and watching as their son ran around the playground, occasionally even introducing himself to other children, which he rarely did. His wavy brown hair floated in the breeze as he ran around, getting into his eyes more often than Alex would’ve liked. She had the overwhelming urge to cut it, but she’d asked Ethan if it bothered him and it didn’t; he liked his hair the way it was. With a deep, contented sigh, she tipped her head upward and kissed James on the chin, taking another sip of coffee before watching Ethan jump off the swing. She had a mini heart attack when he fell to the floor, but like many six-year-olds do, he popped right back up and ran toward the swings again. 

Ethan did the same thing over and over again, with just as much exuberance as the first time, for nearly an hour until he caught sight of some adults congregating by the chess tables about 100 feet away. “Mom!” He called. “Can I go over there?”

She had been teaching him chess lately, so of course she encourage him to go and check it out. At first, both she and James assumed he would want to go over and observe some of the other players, but by the time they had walked up to the table where Ethan was sitting across from an older man, he was starting a game. Hopefully, the man would understand that Ethan was a beginner and would go a little easier on him. “What’s your name young man?” he asked. He had kind eyes and short brown hair, but it seemed like he had the weight of the world on his shoulders. 

“My name is Ethan,” her son said proudly. “My mommy is teaching me how to play chess and I think I’m really good.”

He definitely was, Alex thought to herself, especially for a six year old. “Well, it’s nice to meet you Ethan. I have a son a little older than you. You remind me of him.”

“Is he here today?” Ethan asked.

“No,” the man said sadly. “I haven’t seen him in a while. I disappointed him. But he likes chess too, so when I play, I feel a little bit closer to him. Ready to play?”

Ethan nodded his head and began the game, while Alex and James looked on in awe. He seemed to be holding his own against the older man. “I think he’s going to be smarter than the both of us combined,” James whispered in Alex’s ear. She nodded and said nothing; it was obvious Ethan was way smarter than his age would suggest; she relished the opportunity to watch him grow. 

As the game neared its end, both Ethan and the older gentleman seemed fairly evenly matched. Alex had underestimated her son’s skill at the game - something she promised herself she’d never do again as it seemed he would always exceed expectation. “Checkmate!” Ethan smiled. 

“Checkmate it is.” The man smiled at Ethan and then glanced over at Alex and James. “You have a very intelligent son,” he said.

“Thank you.” Both spoke simultaneously as they got up from their seats and ruffled Ethan’s hair. “We’re pretty proud of him.”

“Keep him close,” he said, his voice tinged with sadness and regret. As he got up from the table, he extended his hand toward Ethan. “And you, young man. Keep up the amazing work. I haven’t been able to say I’m proud of my son lately, so I’ll tell you I’m proud of you.”

“Thank you, mister,” Ethan said as he blushed. 

After nearly four and a half hours in the park, the happy family started to make their way home. Ethan was still on a little bit of high after winning the chess match against the older man. James and Alex on the other hand kept his words closely in the back of their minds. For some unknown reason, this man had made mistakes in his life and lost contact with a son he loved. Keep him close. It wasn’t like they ever intended to do anything else, but hearing him speak with such sadness made them both realize how lucky they were, despite the time apart. Through it all, they’d keep each other close.


End file.
